German Union Lowers Sights; Strikes Continue: Germany’s...

German Union Lowers Sights; Strikes Continue: Germany’s powerful IG Metall union retrenched from a demand for a 6% wage increase but went ahead with a second day of token strikes that disrupted operations throughout the crucial engineering sector. In dropping its original demand, the union said it might not even be able to get a deal for increases matching the likely inflation level of 3% in return for guarantees of job security. Management is calling for a wage freeze and benefit cuts, which the union says means a real pay cut of about 10%. Mass walkouts and demonstrations were focused on the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.